Sephiroth, Pure evil or Misguided?

I think he is a bit of both. misguided to be evil. He just sees the world differently. we all do. Only except he saw it in a bad way and sought to destroy that badness which we call good
 
Yes but hes a WAR Hero, that most likely entailed him Slaughtering a load of innocent people for Shinra so he could be declared a "Hero" and naturally Shinra would emphasise Sephiroths "courage" and "bravery" as they'd want to control the people through fear and admiration of Sephiroth, even as a "hero" he still shows Evil as you cant get much nastier than Killing people
Click to expand...
Innocent people? Are we told that Sephiroth killed women and ate their babies? I must have missed that. I don’t think the story of FFVII gives you any such indication of Sephiroth’s character before the Nibelheim incident.. A soldier isn’t necessarily a murderer, unless you believe that every single person enlisted in the army is a murderer or a potential murderer.

Fighting in a war does not automatically make one evil. A war hero isn’t called a hero because he murders innocent people. That’s a war criminal.

Sephiroth is called a war hero for his unmatched strength and bold exploits in wars, which are celebrated across the world of FFVII, making many youngsters flock to Shinra to become just like him. Does Shinra use this image of great strength and heroism to their advantage? Yes. That still doesn’t make Sephiroth himself evil.


We are told the man was born inhuman–a sort of Jenova hybrid, although from a human mother who died before she was able to hold her own baby (presumably because her body couldn’t deal with it). We know he knew not the details about his birth, although he knew his parents, Hojo and Jenova (although he assumed the latter to be some woman who died giving birth to him, not an alien). CC will be the one to clarify this, but from what I gather from the game, it seems he grew up with Shinra watching his every move, or at least the scientists. He seems to dislike his biological father judging from what he told Cloud in Nibelheim, choosing not to talk about him at all. He also tells Cloud that he has no hometown, so we can easily conclude that Sephiroth grew up in Midgar with all the Shinra guys. It doesn’t seem like Sephiroth actually made the choice to join Shinra like Cloud did, for example, or Zack. He was born and raised for that purpose; to serve Shinra. From what little we do know of him and his childhood, it seems it wasn’t a loving one. He prefers the company of Aeris’ father, for instance, instead of his own’s, showing respect and perhaps some affection, or at least admiration, for Professor Gast.

Sephiroth seems cold and withdrawn, but we know he grew up feeling and looking very different than the other people around him, as he outright states this. If I remember correctly, in Nibelheim he decides to not search for a fallen comrade, choosing to move on with his mission, but that could be largely attributed to the fact he grew up in a very clinical environment around scientists, soldiers, assassins and politicians. Of course, his prowess in battle earned him great respect for his inhuman strength (Cloud: "Sephiroth’s power is unreal"). And Shinra probably used this to their advantage for their own ends.

Sephiroth up until this point (pre-Nibleheim) seems to harbor resentment for his father and probably most of Shinra (perhaps with the exception of the new charas in CC, but we’ll see), although he doesn’t seem to be particularly bent on killing them. He is probably angry as well.
He feels alienated, and thus appears cold to many others. But his dialogue with Cloud in the beginning doesn’t seem to indicate any ill will directed at others.
Not until Jenova and the Nibelheim Mission.
And there, Jenova’s influence & finding out he wasn’t even human to begin with directed all his anger at humanity as a whole. Lack of sleep for days probably did not help him much either, nor did the false information the library supplied. And in that state, his friend Zack and other soldiers tried to kill him. I don’t think he was very happy.
In short, he was pissed. It seemed to me more of a "WTF? Those motherf***ing bastards!" rather than a "omg, I is so different and I’m not human. Emo Emo Emo." reaction. His reaction to the truth about his past allowed all that resentment and anger to be directed at one source: humanity. After all, why not? He isn’t even one of them. He was deceived by those who were weaker than him and below him. In his anger, he burns Nibelheim to the ground. Revenge and Jenova’s influence push him to this.

It isn’t until later, I think, that Sephiroth takes control. Probably after jumping into the mako and gaining the Ancients’ knowledge. The SE staff have said that at this point, Sephiroth’s intent is greater than that of Jenova’s. He doesn’t just want to feed on the Planet and move on to the next. Jenova is less intelligent and with a weaker will than him, according to the staff interviews/comments in Ultimania and such. Thus, we know that from here on, we deal with Sephiroth.

He says he wants to gain power now. He wants to injure the Planet and become a God and sail the darkness of the cosmos. I don’t think Sephiroth feels any connection to humanity anymore. He isn’t one of them. Why should he abide by their rules and live as one of them or have any respect for them? He grew up in Midgar, under Shinra’s nose–hardly a heartwarming memory. Nothing ties him to the Planet. As far as he knows, he has always been stronger than them and therefore probably views himself as being above them too.

He no longer wants the planet for mother. But I think that in Advent Children he says "just as my mother did long ago" in reference to his roots & his complete detachment from anything that makes one human. It also indicates he knows Jenova’s origins and still refers to her as "mother" because he is, in a way, a spawn of Jenova (although much stronger than her), and considers himself more alien than human. He uses her powers now to further his own ends and has made himself into the most powerful mofo in the FFVII universe.

Conclusion: I don’t think Sephiroth was misguided. Although he was lied to, Sephiroth never acted on error. Yes, he was not an Ancient, but it didn’t end when he found out his mother was actually an alien that fed on Planets. No, it was his anger and his hatred.
Had Sephiroth never been sent to Nibelheim, I think his hatred and anger would have been contained, directed only at few individuals, like Hojo, as it originally was.
Sephiroth, through powers and methods no one explains, is the one controlling Jenova. He was never under her control at Nibelheim.
Click to expand...
Did they specifically say Nibelheim? I remember them saying that Sephiroth was able to manipulate her cells and use her powers (eventually) as his intentions & will were greater. Jenova has no intellect beyond searching for planets, infecting its inhabitants (if any) and devouring them before moving on to the next. Although, this isn’t to say Sephiroth was a mere puppet when he torched Nibelheim. Far from it. It is his anger, not Jenova’s.

I thought Sephiroth's case was pretty straightforward from the beginning. He was lied to and he got angry. World went bye bye. I just hope they don't make him into an angsty teen in CC. Seriously.
 
Last edited:
But the Jenove cells would have corrupted him, part of me really likes him truthfully!
And he's Lucrecias son.. so part of him would have to be good. He does seem really misguided, like a child who has his facts wrong or was never loved.
So Sephyyyy (L)
 
Why didn't they corrupt the other people who had them? If the cells corrupted him, then he would have been evil from the very beginning. Sephiroth isn't some cuddly emo kid who just needs a hug.

But I do agree that his upbringing probably had a lot to do with the anger he later feels.
 
I definitely say he was just misguided. He is an interesting character though because all of his motives point to rage, something that should have disappeared with a good asswhooping. They brought Sephiroth back in Advent Children and he was still filled with hate and malice. I think it's seriously one of the biggest mistakes of the movie and perhaps of the game itself. He was angered by a lot of things but deep down he wasn't a bad guy. He wanted to destroy the world in the vision of his mother... but the real him was a kind and caring person. At the game's end they really should have had him helped save the world.
 
Misguided.I can't believe im letting him off easily after all he's done to Cloud... >_<

Well,anyway,he thought Jenova was his mother when Lucrecia was his REAL mother.I think he just had some false facts about himself,that's all.He didn't even know that Hojo was his father.

 
Did they specifically say Nibelheim?
Click to expand...

No. I was just replying to what someone else said.

I remember them saying that Sephiroth was able to manipulate her cells and use her powers (eventually) as his intentions & will were greater
Click to expand...

Yes.

Jenova has no intellect beyond searching for planets, infecting its inhabitants (if any) and devouring them before moving on to the next
Click to expand...

A tcomplete odds with the game.

Ifalna specifically describes what Jenova is. Jenova was a firmly sentient, malicious entity that approaches the Cetra, read their minds and formed herself into their deceased loves ones to infiltrate them and then begin to infect them.

This started with Knowlespole Cetra and Jenova moved on and pursued the rest all over the planet.

This is not the work of a mindless creature.

Also it says in the UOG she tried to control Sephiroth so she isn't mindless. She just failed to control him.

And he takes her over with powers he never had.

Although, this isn’t to say Sephiroth was a mere puppet when he torched Nibelheim. Far from it. It is his anger, not Jenova’s.
Click to expand...

Exactly. That's why he has no character and his entire plot is pathetic.

If Jenova was having some influence at Nibelheim, it wouldn't make Seph look so retarded.

As is, Sephiroth jumped pointlessly into the Lifestream after being stabbed.

He went evil for no reason other than what he read and saw.

In the Lifestream, he gains "the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients" which means he knows he went evil for no reason.

So, he's basically doing all of FFVII and AC for zero reason.

He's got less plot than Bowser.
 
My take on it, simply put is that he was at first genuinely noble, but was corrupted and then grew to become even worse than his corrupter (Jenova).
 
I think he was just misguided. He was definently not pure evil. It wasn't until he discovered Jenova's head in the reactor that he went nuts and destroyed a town. The sad thing is, Jenova wasn't really his mother like he thought. So yeah, misguided.
 
Oh, he was evil. Crazy evil, but evil. He took over Jenova's will and forced the Jenova cells to be his puppet so he could strike back at those who had made him into an experiment and so he could be that which he wished to become- a deity.
He was in charge and working for his own ends. Definitely not misguided.
 
He was pure evil from the moment he really knew what he was. It was damn Hojo's fault for creating his experiment through Lucrecia's baby and injecting her with Jenova cells. He just made things worse and so, yes, Sephiroth is evil. I do believe he is pure evil and I could hardly see him being misguided because he is different to the majority of the planet. I couldn't see him being the good guy either.
 
As I said before the hack, I don't really see either is really equatable. "Pure Evil", is such a limited concept and denies any audience to understand Sephiroth. He clearly as conclusive reasons for doing what he does. It's not out of some sudden urge to destroy the world, there is method and reason to his "madness". He's selfish, sociapathic and uncaring, yes, but that's not "pure evil".

In the end, I don't really see "good" to define "evil" Sephiroth is self serving, but so are we all. Even Cloud serves his own honour and to protect what he loves, all actions are inherently selfish, so therefore there is no polarising force to "evil". Are his actions socially maladjusted? Yes. Are they socially wrong? Yes. Are they morally wrong? Depends on what you believe. If you believe in natural order, Sephiroth is at the top of the pecking poll, in his eyes, people are no more than flies, and no one calls it "pure evil" to swat flies.

As for misguided, you have to be misinformed or manipulated to be misguided, I don't see evidence of that. Sephiroth makes cognitive choices from his own discoveries. JENOVA was an essential connection to him, it depends on your POV as to how relevant she was. Given he was clearly separate from man by such a margin, its unsurprising he'd equate a kinship with something as inhuman because he considered himself - after his findings - to be equally inhuman.

So no, not misguided.

Sephiroth was a sociapathic, self centered character who's discovery realized his feelings of hatred for those who kept such relevant truths as to his existence. It seemed he clearly believed he was superior and to discover such a relevant truth was hidden by those inferior that connected him to a legacy of such power, just pushes him on a destiny HE chooses.

A little unbalanced? Maybe, but his actions are considered, motivated and they have justification - albeit from his own point of view. Neither pure evil or misguided IMO.
 
"Angry" would be a good way to discribe it.

Though the concept of madness or insanity might not be fully understood, or even considered legitimate by some, I think Sephiroth's profile is that of an insane person.

When he realizes that he is so much like the mosters that Hojo has created, it is a truth that he can't handle. It completely destroys his psyche. Remember, Sephiroth was devestated at the realization of it, if even only for a brief moment. When he figured it out, he went nuts.

As would anyone who discovered such a thing about themselves. It just happened that Sephiroth had such incredible power, that his backlash would be felt the world-over. And I think he partly snapped due to the responsibility he carried. He was the top SOLDIER, and charged with forcing ShinRa's will upon the world...the very same people who made him into the freak that he is.

I wouldn't call it misguided, nor would I call it evil. Pure evil does not exist. Madness does.
 
Aerith Gainsborough said:
Actually one can argue that he was evil even before he met Jenova.

You see him in the Shinra mansion reading the papers, and he believes he is an Ancient, you then see that he believes he is superior to the ordinary humans and that they should pay for their crimes. Cue Nibelhelm incident, Burning of village, murdering of villagers etc.

After he met Jenova he then has the means to carry out his master plan, Jenova didn't turn him evil, she just gave him more power. Sephiroth is no way misguided, he's the one in control, no one manipulates him. he believes he can eliminate anyone and everyone who gets in his way - Aerith, President Shinra etc. and will even destroy the earth for his own selfish desires.

So misguided? by who?

Evil? yep.l
Click to expand...

at first i was going to say he was misguided, but AG has some good points. he himself thinks he's an ancient, and that its his destiny to find the promised land and all that bullshit, so he's being driven by his own evil ambitions. i'd say he was evil for sure.
 
i say misguided/angry because, hell, MY dad mistreated me and i'm still pissed off at him. unlike seph, i didn't go crazy and kill everybody
 
Sephiroth has evil in his heart because he was created like a machine he was implanted jenova cells before birth and taught to kill the enemies. But the truth drived him mad.
 
As for misguided, you have to be misinformed or manipulated to be misguided, I don't see evidence of that. Sephiroth makes cognitive choices from his own discoveries. JENOVA was an essential connection to him, it depends on your POV as to how relevant she was. Given he was clearly separate from man by such a margin, its unsurprising he'd equate a kinship with something as inhuman because he considered himself - after his findings - to be equally inhuman.
Click to expand...
You don't see those as misguided choices? I don't see his connection to Jenova as a conscious choice, any more than you or I make a conscious choice to feel a connection with our parents or guardians. He sees Jenova as his true mother, and I'm sure it was as much of an emotional response as anything else. I don't think Sephiroth could have denied those feelings if he tried.

To me, that is a misguided point of view. Taking Jenova as his kin, he is doing so under the assumption that he cannot be like the rest, that he has no peers. On the surface, that might be true, but Sephiroth was a functioning person before he knew all of this.

Sephiroth was a sociapathic, self centered character who's discovery realized his feelings of hatred for those who kept such relevant truths as to his existence. It seemed he clearly believed he was superior and to discover such a relevant truth was hidden by those inferior that connected him to a legacy of such power, just pushes him on a destiny HE chooses.

A little unbalanced? Maybe, but his actions are considered, motivated and they have justification - albeit from his own point of view. Neither pure evil or misguided IMO.
Click to expand...
Maybe he's more than a little unbalanced? People can be cruel and calculating, can't they? Being a murdering bastard does not require diminished capacity, does it? But are the mass-murderers of the world only a little unbalanced? Hilter was more than just self-centered, was he not? I think we are underestimating the effect that this discovery had on Sephiroth's psyche; I fully believe that he could not handle what he learned, and that it drove him absolutely bugshit.

But I agree that he is no more evil than anyone else. Evil is a fantasy.

*EDIT: I just would like to add that it takes an amazing story to bring out this type of discussion. Isn't it something that we are all dissecting the plot as if it were a work of literature? Sweeeeeet.
 
Last edited:
Sephy was misguided. I don't know if anyone has played Crisis Core or Before Crisis, but he was fine in that game and was just like any normal person until he found out in Final Fantasy 7 that he was an experiment from Hojo. So all of his actions were mainly based on revenge.

Everyone has revenge in them. It part of being a human. We try to protect ourselves so in all aspect he was misguided and lost and in that went mad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top